The Histopathology Technician (Advanced) position is located in the Anatomic Pathology Section of the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service in the W.G. (Bill) Hefner VA Medical Center, Salisbury, NC. The Histopathology Technicians performs a variety of specific, intricate, and complex steps in preparing, cutting, and staining the different tissue types for analysis by a pathologist to make diagnoses of various diseases and conditions.

Duties

Receives, identifies, and accessions all specimens sent to the Histology laboratory for analysis by a pathologist into the hospital computer system Resolves any labeling discrepancies with appropriate documentation, labels specimen containers, prepares appropriate cassettes as indicated by the specimen types, and sets up specimen tray(s) with worksheet in preparation for grossing by a pathologist Notifies pathologist of any urgent or frozen section cases and assists with the timely cutting and staining of those specimens within established timeframes Assures readiness of cryostats, for rapid frozen section preparation, at all times Assures proper preservation of all specimens with appropriate additives, such as formalin, OFIX, saline, etc Must operate equipment such as tissue processors, cryostats, stainers, water baths, cassette/slide labelers, and microtomes with safety and expertise, perform necessary maintenance and cleaning procedures on all equipment, and be able to perform basic troubleshooting steps Must appropriately identify a variety of tissue types from biopsies and autopsies (including brain, bone, colon, breast, skin, Gl, etc.) and embed in paraffin blocks so that the histological orientation is optimal for diagnosis Utilizing standard practice, cuts paraffin blocks at appropriate depths for tissue type or as requested by a pathologist Prepares the number of slides on each cassette as outlined by the Pathology department, assuring accurate labeling with assigned numbers Stains and cover slips slides following established procedures and distributes batches of prepared slides with cases in entirety to pathologists in a continuous flow within established timeframes for routine processing Performs any re-embedding, recuts, or special requests by pathologist in a timely manner Responsible for properly preparing specimens requiring possible additional special studies, such as electron microscopy Maintains Quality Control in the department, including, H&E and other special stain controls, block count and tracking of blocks and slides from time out of processor until delivery of slides to a pathologist, monitoring of temperatures, maintenance records, cleaning procedures, and tracking of mislabeled specimens Assists with preparing and maintaining clear and concise policies and procedures for the histology department Performs high quality special stains, including Diff Quik, Trichrome, PAS, AFB, GMS, etc, with cases based on established departmental protocols, or as ordered by the pathologist Performs immunohistochemical stains as required Responsible for maintaining organization and prompt filing of blocks and slides as required Follows procedures for mailing/requesting slides/blocks to/from other facilities and prepares slides for mailing to the JPC registry as required on eligible Veterans Under supervision of the pathologist, performs a full variety of technical autopsy procedures involved in typical autopsy examinations, using established safety and universal precautions Assists with dissection of body, removing organs, weighing specimens, and closing the body per established protocol Labels, routes, and stores specimens appropriately Responsible for aseptically cleaning the morgue and autopsy table, cleaning and sharpening instruments, and replenishing supplies Assists with maintaining appropriate inventory levels for reagents and supplies used in the histology department Responsible for aseptically cleaning the morgue and autopsy table, cleaning and sharpening instruments, and replenishing supplies May be required to serve as backup for cytotechnologist to prepare and present urines and fluids for cytology Stays abreast of the most current histology techniques, participates in required training, and maintains all continuing education required annually by the facility Work Schedule: Day Shift Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized, if applicable. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

Basic Requirements Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. Education. Individuals must meet one of the requirements below: (1) Experience. One year of experience in a health care field that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work or provides an understanding of the work such as but not limited to a medical or clinical laboratory assistant (or technician) or health technician. OR, (2) Education. (a) Four academic years above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation such as biological science or chemistry; or(b) Successful completion of two academic years of study above high school that included at least 24 semester hours in Chemistry and/or in appropriate fields of biological science and successful completion of a 12-month program of education and training in histopathology or cytotechnology. OR, (3) Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable. Examples are listed below:(a) Six months of experience in the health care field and two years of education above high school that included at least six semester hours in health care related courses such as biological science, surgical technician courses or other courses related to the position; or an associate's degree in a health care related field.(b) Six months of experience in the health care field and successful completion of a course for health care technicians, hospital corpsmen, medical service specialists, or histopathology technicians given by the U.S. Armed Forces. Certification. None English Language Proficiency. Histopathology Technicians must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5.a., this part. Grade Determination: GS-7: Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-6. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Skill in applying professional, complex anatomic pathology principles, practices, concepts, and theories in performing new or difficult specialized testing methods or techniques. (b) Ability to provide technical oversight of laboratory quality control and assurance procedures and principles of performance improvement exhibiting competence in managing reagent and supply inventories and document control systems. (c) Ability to validate methodologies, operate anatomic pathology laboratory equipment and perform complex instrument troubleshooting. (d) Ability to use independent technical judgment to analyze and evaluate laboratory results and resolve problems. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-7. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/102 PART II APPENDIX G55

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address WG Bill Hefner Salisbury VA Medical Center 1601 Brenner Avenue Salisbury, NC 28144 US
• Name: Reginald Young
• Phone: 704-638-9000
• Email: [email protected]